Saints-Rams will give Bobby, Hokie and Jim plenty to study

Hokie Gajan, Bobby Hebert and Jim Henderson gave me a few things that they will be keeping an eye on in the Saints first pre-season game when they battle the Rams friday night in St. Louis.

Hokie thinks that back-up QB Luke McCown has had a better camp than Ryan Griffin. “I know some people see it the other way around, but my opinion McCown looks better. I want to see how both of them look under the lights Friday night.”

Gajan said he wants to see Saints LT Terron Armstead go up against one of the premier pass rushers in the league in DE Robert Quinn. “Quinn is one of the best in the business. Armstead would do well to hold his own against a guy like Quinn.”

Hokie is also keeping an eye on rookie WR Brandin Cooks, and wants to see if WR Nick Toon can be as good in a game as he has at training camp.

Being a former QB, Bobby is of course keeping a sharp eye on the QB battle. The Cajun Cannon sees this as a tighter-than-usual battle between these two signal callers. "I do think that the back-up to Drew Brees will be decided in the next four weeks. Luke is a veteran that has seen just about everything, and Ryan Griffin has progressed and the Saints obviously like some of his qualities."

Hebert wants to see most how the front line players on the Saints offense and defense do against the St. Louis Rams starters. "We know that in the first pre-season game, the starters don't play long. But what matters most is how the starters look while they are in the game. You don't want to go out there and look bad."

Bobby also says that the Saints RBs give them plenty of options as far as rushing the football and making plays catching the ball out of the backfield. "The check down the QBs do from time to time have netted some good yards at practice. Khiry Robinson, Travaris Cadet and Derrick Strozier can all make plays out of the backfield."

Jim Henderson is looking to see what young players can make their mark on special teams. “With the majority of the staring spots already locked up, the remaining spots will go to guys who can make an impact on special teams.”

Jim also is interested to see how the Saints QBs perform against the Rams. “Both McCown and Griffin have had their moments during camp, and the winner of this battle will be decided in the four pre-season games.”

On the defensive side of the football, Jim has liked what he has seen out of the DBs. “Corey White has flashed. He’s impressed me with his play at practice. I want to see if he can continue to play well in a real game. CB Patrick Robinson could be fighting for a starting spot with his outstanding play during camp.”

I think you might want to look and see how the Saints first team defense does against the run. Rams RB Zac Stacey gashed New Orleans to the tune of 133 yards and a TD in the Rams 27-16 win over New Orleans last season.